Una acomodación lingüística problemática: los diminutivos en los emigrantes ecuatorianos en Granada (España)
A Problematic Linguistic Accommodation: Diminutives in Ecuadorian Emigrants in Granada (Spain)

Summary/Abstract: The analysis of diminutives from the ECUGRA corpus (the oral corpus for the social study of Ecuadorian emigrants in Granada) shows us a peculiar process of linguistic accommodation, since in Granada there are three main suffixes that coexist: “-ito”, common for the Hispanic world; “-illo”, characteristic of the Andalusian variety, and “-ico”, which has a more local character. Ecuadorian emigrants have the possibility to maintain the characteristics from their vernacular variety, the Andean Spanish, or the accommodation to the resident variety. The problem appears when the zone variety in which they settle shows a division between the fidelity to the vernacular Andalusian and the convergence with the standard from Castile. These linguistic paths are also influenced by the relative proximity of the Andean Spanish to the Castilian standard, as well as the stigmatization of a large part of the phenomena that defines Andalusian Spanish. The data that we analyze shows the tendency to the shortterm accommodation (influenced by the nationality of the interviewer) as well as the longterm accommodation. Additionally, the gender is determinant since it explains the rejection of the “-illo” solution by Ecuadorian women.

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